Miss Lebanon Australia: Stylist lifts lid on fraudulent entries, bullying and rigging rumours

A STYLIST has lifted the lid on the controversial Miss Lebanon Australia beauty pageant, claiming catfights, fraudulent entries and bullying are all just par for the course.

IT’S Australia’s most controversial beauty pageant, marred by rigging rumours since Mary Mehajer, sister to disgraced former Auburn deputy major Salim Mehajer, won in 2016 — despite her brother sponsoring the pageant.

The event’s stylist Zooka Alameddine defended Ms Mehajer’s win as “nothing to do” with her controversial brother, claiming it was Ms Mehajer’s Botox and filler-free face that secured the win.
But the rumours led to a major sponsor pulling out and a dramatic drop in contestant numbers since.

Zooka Alameddine (right) and her sisters worked behind-the-scenes on Miss Lebanon Australia for several years. Picture: Supplied

Alameddine, 36, describes participating in the pageant as “very, very gruesome” and details contestant bullying, “catfights” and even fraudulent entries, with women pretending to be Lebanese to participate.

Mary Mehajer was crowned Miss Lebanon Australia in 2016.

Alameddine said suspicions of a faux-Lebanese entrant are raised when she doesn’t have the accent to match the part of Lebanon she claims to be from.

“The first thing I ask is what village are you from?” said Alameddine, speaking ahead of SBS documentary, Lebanese Beauty Queens, which goes backstage on the 2017 pageant.

Zooka Alameddine (centre) and her sisters pose for a selfie. Picture: Supplied

“I can tell from the accent because they do have different dialogues, different slang, different accents — so if I can’t pick up on an accent I’m curious.

“I’ll say, ‘what village are you from?’ And when they can’t answer specific questions about that village, I know.”

Although there are no physical requirements to enter, Alameddine said overweight women need not apply.

“If she’s really overweight we don’t take her,” she said, confirming it would be impossible to conquer the swimsuit segment carrying too many kgs.

Salim Mehajer’s sister controversially won the pageant.

The entrants are put through a six-week exercise bootcamp to get them pageant ready, with a 2017 contestant shedding 9kgs in that period.

Bullying between contestants is also an accepted part of the process.

“They’re just good with their words. It will start by someone trying to discourage someone else. There’s a lot of attitude,” she said.

It’s only the bigger girls who are spared.

“The skinny girls don’t find the bigger girls the threat so they’re more than willing to help those girls. However they won’t help the other girls,” said Alameddine.

Lebanese Beauty Queens airs 8.30pm, Wednesday on SBS.